Human Enteric α-Defensin 5 Promotes Shigella Infection by Enhancing Bacterial Adhesion and Invasion

How Shigella can be infectious in humans despite lacking clear mechanisms for mucosal adhesion remains a long-standing enigma concerning its pathogenesis. Xu et  al. demonstrate that Shigella exploits the host defense peptide HD5 in the gut to attain its ability to colonize and destroy the intestinal epithelium.

Source: Immunity - May 29, 2018 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Dan Xu, Chongbing Liao, Bing Zhang, W. David Tolbert, Wangxiao He, Zhijun Dai, Wei Zhang, Weirong Yuan, Marzena Pazgier, Jiankang Liu, Jun Yu, Philippe J. Sansonetti, Charles L. Bevins, Yongping Shao, Wuyuan Lu Tags: Article Source Type: research